Hello everyone,
Age: 36
Experience:
17 years training/5 years competing
So I have officially signed up with Defy Medical. From what I read they have great reviews and I like the idea of monitoring labs.
I have a bodybuilding and powerlifting background. I was able to get to a fairly elite level in both naturally. I have not trained in the last year for numerous reasons and have lost a good amount of size. The questions I have are as follows...
If I start TRT before getting back to where I was physically, would I be limited to what I can gain or will I just gain at a faster rate? Example...
I'm 175 now. I was about 190 at my peak. Over the long term will I have a lower ceiling for growth of I start TRT before I get back to my previous peak?
Also, I understand muscle growth is faster than connective tissue. I assume the combinstof muscle memory and TRT I will gain quickly. Will this cause issues with ligaments/joints?
Not an easy question to explain but I hope I did a well enough job. Thank you all.
Experience: 17 years training/5 years competing
So I have officially signed up with Defy Medical. From what I read they have great reviews and I like the idea of monitoring labs.
This should be a given and is critical when on trt let alone in cases where one would use/abuse testosterone/AAS for the sole purpose of muscle/strength enhancement.
If I start TRT before getting back to where I was physically, would I be limited to what I can gain or will I just gain at a faster rate? Example...
I'm 175 now. I was about 190 at my peak. Over the long term will I have a lower ceiling for growth of I start TRT before I get back to my previous peak?
Limited as in how seeing we are on trt here using therapeutic doses of exogenous T to replace physiologically levels in order to achieve a healthy TT/FT level which would result in relief/improvement of low-t symptoms while at the same time trying to minimize/avoid any potential side-effects and keeping blood markers healthy long-term.
Sure being on trt will improve body composition (muscle/strength, fat loss) but it will be minor when compared to using/abusing steroid doses (300-600 mg/week) of testosterone.
Most on trt are using 100-200 mg/week in order to achieve a healthy TT/FT level and even then many would never even need what would be considered the high-end dose of 200 mg/week to achieve a healthy FT level.
Yes, there are some outliers who may need doses slightly higher than 200 mg/week but it is far and few (very rare).
The body composition changes (gains muscle/strength) and increased recovery one would experience when using trt doses are in no way comparable to what could be achieved when using steroid doses of T.
To be honest, if we are talking about
pure muscle tissue (actin/myosin) minus the water weight (
intra-cellular: increased water/glycogen inside the muscle cell) and (
extra-cellular: bloat/puffiness between the muscle and skin due to water retention) than you would be looking at 5-7 lbs at best and even then ones genetics will have the final say let alone whether one is weight training and following a proper diet/training protocol is key.
Hate to burst your bubble but do not expect to pack on any significant amount of pure muscle tissue using trt doses.
Not going to happen and if such was the case then no one would be using/abusing testosterone/AAS.
The men you hear about on trt that are claiming to have packed on any significant amount of muscle (15-20 lbs) are usually the ones who have put on a lot of water weight or are blasting and cruising (
many will never tell you such) as androgens will make you retain water both intra-cellular/extra-cellular and this would be pissed away when coming off T whether one is on trt or steroids.
Some men on trt can gain a significant amount of water weight.
If you had been training for 17 years and during that time a good number of those years would have been when your testosterone levels were healthy than 190 lb is where your body naturally sits.
Now that you are starting trt once you achieve a healthy TT/FT level and resume training while following a diet geared toward your goals (gaining muscle/strength) than you will easily regain what you have lost and in the long run you will add some more muscle but it will be minor if we are speaking in terms of pure muscle tissue.
Trt doses and steroid doses of testosterone are two extremes of the spectrum.
That is the downfall of trt is too many people especially the young are brainwashed by all the mumbo jumbo laden on the forums/internet thinking that going on trt will have them muscle-bound looking like some of these clowns who have clearly used/abused testosterone/AAS to achieve those gains.
Unfortunately, another fact of the matter is when it comes to testosterone and trt many have the mindset that more is better and higher test levels mean one will have a raging sex drive and titanium erections 24/7, with recovery abilities of wolverine and walking around like the HULK.
Having healthy T levels with other hormones in balance and following a healthy lifestyle will improve body composition, mood, energy, libido, erectile function, recovery, cardiovascular health, bone health, immune system.
Too many get caught up in the muscle/sexual benefits when it comes to testosterone when it should be about overall health.
Also, I understand muscle growth is faster than connective tissue. I assume the combinstof muscle memory and TRT I will gain quickly. Will this cause issues with ligaments/joints?
As the saying goes when it comes to trt start low and go slow would also apply to resuming weight training after a lay-off or when first starting your journey.
Again we are on trt here and no one is blowing up with muscle let alone significant strength gains rapidly.
As long as you work your way back into training slowly and use lighter loads along with proper form/technique and follow a proper diet/training protocol there should be no issues with excess stress/trauma to ligaments/joints.
There are some that may eventually add in low dose nandrolone 50-100 mg/week which is the prescribed therapeutic dose for joint pain but it is a temporary solution and although effective in most cases it is used long-term off and on to keep deriving the beneficial effects.
Even then you need to be more concerned with starting trt first and achieving a healthy TT/FT level.
Patience is KEY!
